title: V3 spinal neurons establish a robust and balanced locomotor rhythm during walking.
abstract: A robust and well-organized rhythm is a key feature of many neuronal networks, including those that regulate essential behaviors such as circadian rhythmogenesis, breathing, and locomotion. Here we show that excitatory V3-derived neurons are necessary for a robust and organized locomotor rhythm during walking. When V3-mediated neurotransmission is selectively blocked by the expression of the tetanus toxin light chain subunit (TeNT), the regularity and robustness of the locomotor rhythm is severely perturbed. A similar degeneration in the locomotor rhythm occurs when the excitability of V3-derived neurons is reduced acutely by ligand-induced activation of the allatostatin receptor. The V3-derived neurons additionally function to balance the locomotor output between both halves of the spinal cord, thereby ensuring a symmetrical pattern of locomotor activity during walking. We propose that the V3 neurons establish a regular and balanced motor rhythm by distributing excitatory drive between both halves of the spinal cord.
authors.affiliation: Molecular Neurobiology Laboratory, Salk Institute for Biological Studies, 10010 North Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla, CA 92037, USA.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Sujatha
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Narayan
authors.forename: Eric
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Geiman
authors.forename: Guillermo M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Lanuza
authors.forename: Tomoko
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Velasquez
authors.forename: Bayle
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shanks
authors.forename: Turgay
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Akay
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dyck
authors.forename: Keir
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Pearson
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gosgnach
authors.forename: Chen-Ming
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Fan
authors.forename: Martyn
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goulding
mesh_terms: D000200:Action Potentials / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D000818:Animals; D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D007395:Interneurons / Q000502:physiology*; D051379:Mice; D008822:Mice, Transgenic; D009043:Motor Activity / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology*; D009046:Motor Neurons / Q000502:physiology*; D009415:Nerve Net / Q000502:physiology; D004856:Postural Balance / Q000502:physiology*; D012097:Repressor Proteins / Q000235:genetics / Q000502:physiology; D013116:Spinal Cord / Q000502:physiology*; D016138:Walking / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D051792:Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins; D012097:Repressor Proteins; C491094:SIM1 protein, human